being no longer chargeable with the sins of his son, who, being now a son of the commandment, ought to bear his own sins from this time forward. The father then gives God special thanks that he is now relieved and freed from the punishment incurred by his son, and repeats prayers on his behalf, that he may live many years and be eminent for good works. From this time, the youth is considered as of full age, is exempt from the authority of parents and tutors, is his own master in all things both civil and religious, is deemed competent to manage business, and his contracts are esteemed valid.* Jewish girls are accounted of full age at twelve years and a day old, or it should seem, in some countries, at twelve years and half.† * Buxtorf. ibid. p. 141–143. Addison, ibid. p. 85. ibid. P. iv. c. 10. s. 3. Frey's Narrative, p. 13. + Leo Modena, P. iv. c. 10, s. 3. Leo Modena, 304 CHAPTER XVII. Dresses worn by Jews.-Talleth or Tsitsith, a square Garment with Fringes or Tassels :-Small one worn constantly :-Large one for daily Prayers and other Occasions. Great Virtues of these Vestments.Tephillin or Phylacteries,—for the Head,—and for the Arm:- made with minute Care and possessed of wonderful Virtues.-Mezuzoth, or Schedules for Door-posts. THE rabbies have given many directions about the materials, form, and colour of the garments to be worn by their brethren. Few of their rules, however, are much practised in the present day; as, in order to avoid the odium and ridicule likely to be incurred by singularity, they generally adopt, in external appearance at least, the dresses commonly worn by the people among whom they live. But they still consider it unlawful for them,* to wear any garment composed of linen and woollen woven together, or made of either of these materials and sewed with the other.† Every male is required to have a quadrangular vestment, which they call Talleth, and which is worn constantly as an inner garment. It consists of two quadrangular pieces, generally of woollen, sometimes of silk, joined together at the upper edge by two fillets, or broad straps, with a space * Levit. xix. 19. Deut. xxii. 11. + Buxtorf Synag Jud. c. xxxii. p. 587-592. Leo Modena, P. i. c. 5. s. 1-4. Addison, c. i. p. 10, 11. תלית * left sufficient for the head to pass between them. These fillets rest on the shoulders, and the two square pieces hang down, one over the back, and the other over the breast. From each of the corners hangs a fringe or tassel, consisting of eight threads and tied with five knots. From its having four corners this vestment is called arba canphoth;* but its principal denomination, Tsitsith, it receives from the fringes upon which all its sanctity is supposed to depend. They have likewise a larger Talleth, which they are required to put on during the daily morning prayers, and on some other occasions. This is a square piece of cloth, like a napkin, or rather resembling a shawl; made of white sheep or lamb wool, sometimes of camel hair, and bordered with stripes of blue, with a fringe or tassel at each corner. The threads composing the fringes attached to both the small and large Talleth, are of wool that has been shorn, not pulled or plucked; and spun by the hand of a Jewess for the express purpose of being used in these fringes. Four threads, of which one must be blue if it can be obtained, are passed through an eyelet hole made about the breadth of three fingers from each edge forming the angle these threads are to be doubled, to make eight::-seven are to be of equal length, and the eighth must be long enough to twist five times round the rest, for the purpose of tying five tight ארבע כנפות * ציצית + Buxtorf. Synag. Jud. c. ix. p. 160, 161. Leo Modena, ibid. P. i. c. 5. s. 9. David Levi, ibid. p. 184, 185. X knots, and afterwards to have an end of the same length as the other seven.* The large Talleth, at the appointed seasons, is thrown loosely over all the other garments; sometimes passing across the top of the head and flowing down over the upper part of each arm and over the back, sometimes wrapped round the neck; but more generally drawn together, and passing across the head and down over the forepart of each shoulder, like a scarf, in the manner represented in the frontispiece to this work. + The obligation to wear such garments they rest on the following injunction of the law: "Speak "unto the children of Israel, and bid them that "they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of their borders a "ribband" (or, as the rabbies say it should be rendered, a thread)" of blue: and it shall be "unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, "and remember all the commandments of the "Lord, and do them." This command the rabbies have represented as equal to all the others. The precept concerning the fringes,' they say, ' is so great, that he who diligently observes it, is ' regarded in the same light as if he had kept the 'whole law' for that the knots of each fringe answering to the books of the law, being five in number, and the threads of which it is composed * Buxtorf. ibid. pag. 161, 162. p. 577-579. Leo Modena, ibid. s. 7. + Leo Modena, ibid. P. i. c. 11. p. 38. Numb. xv. 38, 39. Bartoloc. Bib. Rab. tom. i. being eight, and the letters of the Hebrew word Tsitsith, as numerals, being six hundred, the total amount is six hundred and thirteen; the exact number of all the precepts in the law.* The virtue of these fringes, in recalling the attention of their wearers to the divine commands, and preserving them from sins they have been on the point of committing, is said to be very great; and the rabbinical writings contain some marvellous stories, of things alleged to have happened before as well as since the giving of the law, related in confirmation of it. They are also considered as preservatives from the injuries of evil spirits. To him who altogether neglects this precept, or treats it with contempt by wearing a quadrangular garment without the fringes, the rabbies apply this passage: "That it might take "hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked "might be shaken out of it :"+ that is, according to their exposition,-The blessed God will punish those transgressors who violate the precept of the fringes, and will shake them out of the earth. These quadrangular garments with fringes are not required to be worn by night; nor is the precept which enjoins them considered as obligatory on women, servants, or young children. Such a garment is never to be sold or pledged to a Christian, lest he should wear it, and, taking * Buxtorf. ibid. p. 168, 164. Bartoloc. Bib. Rab. tom. i. p. 576, 577. 584, 585. David Levi, ibid. p. 184. + Job xxxviii. 13. Buxtorf. ibid. p. 163–167. 169. Talmud. Cod. Sabbat. c. xvi. f. 118. Jalkut, f. 229. c. 3. apud Buxtorf. ibid. |